Russia's War Against Ukraine
OP-ED
Economist: Shrinking country
A man stands next a crater following shelling in the Kuybeshevski area in Donetsk on Nov. 6, 2014.
Ukraine, which lost Crimea to Russian annexation this spring, just got smaller again. Russian-backed separatists declared sovereign governments on the back of sham elections in Donetsk and Luhansk on Nov. 2. America, the European Union and the UN condemned the vote for imperilling a ceasefire agreed in September. Russia welcomed it, but stopped short of official recognition. Officials in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, insist diplomacy is working. In reality, only a military effort can now bring the rebel-held territories back, and Ukraine's army is not up to the task.
